This paper discusses the prospects of Zimbabwe adopting the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). It evaluates the preconditions – the country’s legal and institutional readiness – while engaging with the benefits of the EITI. Zimbabwe has struggled to maximise the benefits from its mineral resources due to a weak and outdated legal framework that does not sufficiently promote transparency and accountability. It is posited that adopting initiatives like the EITI may be a first step towards ensuring the country benefits from its resources. These challenges are unlikely to be cured by the EITI per se. The current political, economic and legal environment is not ideal given the institutional weaknesses and global political pressures, such as smart sanctions, that make joining the EITI legally sound but politically imprudent. Strong constitutional traditions, effective law enforcement, supportive relationships between government and civil society (civic engagement), and regulation embedded in elements of the EITI standard could have a positive impact.

本文讨论了津巴布韦采用采掘业透明度倡议 (EITI) 的前景。它评估先决条件——国家的法律和制度准备情况——同时利用 EITI 的好处。由于法律框架薄弱且过时，无法充分提高透明度和问责制，津巴布韦一直在努力最大限度地利用其矿产资源的利益。据推测，采用 EITI 等举措可能是确保国家从其资源中受益的第一步。EITI 本身不太可能解决这些挑战。当前的政治、经济和法律环境并不理想，因为体制弱点和全球政治压力（例如明智的制裁）使得加入 EITI 在法律上合理但在政治上是轻率的。